Dr. Paul D. Nielsen

Dr. Paul D. Nielsen is Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), a Federally Funded Research and Development Center operated by Carnegie Mellon University. The SEI advances software engineering principles and practices through focused research and development, which is transitioned to the broad software engineering community. The SEI serves as a global leader in process improvement and networked systems survivability. Additionally, the SEI is a key innovator in software architecture, software product lines, interoperability, the integration of software intensive systems, and the increasing overlap of software and systems engineering. The SEI also provides direct support to more than 50 US government agencies in their efforts to efficiently and effectively acquire new software and systems. Since joining the SEI in August 2004, Nielsen has overseen the development and expansion of the CMMI product suite, the establishment of new SEI offices in Qatar, and the growth of the SEI to an organization employing more than 500 employees with operating revenues of $100 million annually. Prior to his arrival as SEI Director, Nielsen served in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a Major General after 32 years of distinguished service. As commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio for more than four years, he managed the Air Force’s science and technology budget of more than $3 billion annually. He also served as the Air Force’s technology executive officer, determining the investment strategy for the full spectrum of Air Force science and technology activities. Nielsen’s Air Force career includes assignments at the Secretary of the Air Force’s Office of Special Projects and the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Nielsen was a military assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Commander of Rome Laboratory. He was Operations Chief for the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center and Director of Plans for the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Prior to his assignment at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Nielsen served as Vice Commander of the Aeronautical Systems Center, the Air Force’s largest product center responsible for developing fighters, bombers, transports, reconnaissance aircraft, training systems, and unmanned aerospace vehicles. In 2004, Nielsen became a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He served as the AIAA President from 2007-2008 and is a member of the AIAA Board of Directors. In 2006, he was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Nielsen serves on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Hertz Foundation, a non-profit that awards graduate school fellowships in the applied sciences. • BS, U.S. Air Force Academy • MS, University of California, Davis • MBA, University of New Mexico • PhD, University of California, Davis